The Future of ASP
As we continue to explore options for the future of ASP, co-founder Rose Solari sat down for an interview with writer, librarian, and literary activist Christ Stevenson on our history, mission, and plans.
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Joanna Biggar’s new book has just gone to galley, but what exactly does that mean?
In 2000, the bicentennial of the Library of Congress, four Poets Laureate were appointed just for the occasion. The four dignitaries were W.S. Merwin, Robert Pinsky, Rita Dove, and Louise Gluck. I was to record one after the other for 4 hours. That first meeting with Merwin was unforgettable, as he arrived for an hour interview without so much as one poem in his hands. Fortunately, I had brought ten books for his signature and we puzzled our way through. He was delighted to recognize some of his first slim published volumes that were out of print, as well as a few collector’s items.
Nothing buoys the spirits like a walk along Grafton Street. Gray day or sunny, it’s bright with noise and laughter. Loud “hellos,” babies crying, neighborly gossip, rich brogues and lilting Irish airs float up onto the breeze. Our chosen course allowed for a stroll through St. Stephen’s Green. Sunlight dappled the leafy brakes. Inspired by the moment, Lawrence liberated his fiddle and sawed out a hornpipe. He was joined in his performance by a pair of amorous ducks.
On Grafton street we were immediately surrounded by music. A couple of 9 and 10-year-old boys, Donald Reagon and Paul O’Neill, were delighting passersby with smooth moves on the fiddle and concertina. College students with shaved heads played sitars. Old men played jazz. A guitarist somewhere was plucking out George Harrison tunes and singing, “Here comes the sun, little darlin’ here comes the sun.”
On that musical street there was only one poet—a threadbare character who, for a pound or a punt (Irish pound) or nothing at all, would recite a poem by a poet of one’s choosing. I selected Yeats and was honored with “The Fiddler of Dooney”:
“When I play on my fiddle in Dooney, Folk dance like a wave of the sea . . .”
Baltimore poet, Elizabeth Hazen’s first collection of poems is entitled Chaos Theories. Last week the young poet was announced as a finalists for the prestigious Baker Artist Award in literature. We sat down to talk with her about her experience in Baltimore as an artist and what programs like The Baker Awards mean to artists.
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A little about us...
Alan Squire Publishing is an independent literary press founded in 2010 to publish books of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry that are beautifully written and beautifully made, with the avid reader and book-lover in mind. We are committed to bringing to the public books of great merit that deserve a wide readership, and to forging a new model of collaboration with other independent presses here and abroad.
Our collaborators on various projects include Left Coast Writers in San Francisco, California, and Chris Andrews Publications, Ltd., in Oxford, England.
All ASP titles are distributed internationally by Independent Publishers Group (IPG), the original independent book distributor in the United States. For bulk orders, visit them here: http://www.ipgbook.com/
And we love book clubs, independent bookstores, and all other means of getting our books into the right hands! If you have any problems with your orders, or want to discuss alternative or charitable discounts, please contact us directly at rsolariasp@gmail.com, or call us at 301-461-3296.
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ASP team